SIFF Movie Review: “Hail”

Hail is an experimental “docudrama” starring middle-aged real life ex-con Daniel P. Jones and his long-time girlfriend Leanne Letch as themselves. The film follows a loose plot about Jones getting out of prison and trying to get his life back together in Melbourne, inspired by Jones’ own accounts of his former life of crime.

Despite my own recommendation to see The Student last night, I wound up seeing Amiel Courtin-Wilson’s grim biopic due to the fact that it was starting half an hour earlier and I didn’t feel like being out past midnight on Monday. Alas, I should’ve stuck with the original plan.

I also should’ve heeded Courtin-Wilson’s own warning before the film that it was “tough to watch” and he liked seeing how many people could actually make it through the entire thing. I was not one of those people. I think I gave up about 10 minutes till the end—which almost makes me more upset that I’d actually wasted the previous 94 minutes being upset. An assault of the senses is a nice way of describing this film. Visually, its extreme closeups disorient the viewer, a cacophonous soundtrack proved ear-splitting at times, and in the end, the gratuitous violence was just too much to bear.

Not wanting to be rude or cause a scene, I sat wincing in my seat for as long as I could. I also knew the director was probably sitting just a couple rows back, waiting for someone to cry Uncle. One person did exit during a scene with music was so shrill I thought my ears might bleed. The torture scene that followed did me in.

The director was outside having a smoke when I left. “I just didn’t make it, ” I told him apprehensively. He smiled and said, “Yeah, most people leave at the torture scene.” I gave him a pat on the arm and hurried home.

If masochism is your thing, there two more chances to see “Hail” at SIFF 2012.